Photographer Howard Schatz had an idea: place actors in a series of roles and dramatic situations to reveal the essence of their characters. Such was the premise behind his book, In Character: Actors Acting, which captures some of Hollywood’s most emotive stars in the act of, well, making faces. Luckily for us, he continued the tradition for Vanity Fair. Here are some of the best.

Members of the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) demonstrate their skills on motor-bikes during the BSF Golden Jubilee Day celebration in New Delhi on December 1, 2015. (Photo by Money Sharma/AFP Photo)

German car manufacturer BMW presents the “Vision Next 100” concept car during the 100th anniversary celebrations in Munich, Germany, Monday, March 7, 2016. (Photo by Matthias Schrader/AP Photo)

A cloud of black smoke billows out the exhaust pipe of John Robertson's diesel dragster as he runs down the track during the 2015 NHRA Kansas Nationals, Friday, May 22, 2015, at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kan. (Photo by Chris Neal/The Topeka Capital-Journal via AP Photo)

Moruti Mthalane of South Africa is punched by Masayuki Kuroda of Japan during their IBF flyweight title boxing bout in Tokyo on May 13, 2019. (Photo by Charly Triballeau/AFP Photo)

David Reutimann, driver of the #00 Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota, Brian Vickers, driver of the #83 Red Bull Toyota, and Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, collide after an incident in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Jeff Byrd 500 Presented By Food City at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 20, 2011 in Bristol, Tennessee.

In this handout photo provided by Warner Brothers Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures, Tom Cruise plays Lieutenant Colonel Bill Cage, a soldier who replays his last day while trying to fight aliens, in director Doug Liman's “All You Need Is Kill”. The film is set to premiere on March 14, 2014. (Photo by David James/Warner Brothers Pictures)